Interview with Angela Cid, Managing Director of Kaskada Management

Angela Cid was born in Barcelona, Spain, and has been living in Dubai for several years now. She became an international model at an early age, working for the fashion industry across the world.

She lived in Tokyo for four years, but kept travelling around the globe to such spectacular destinations as Morocco, South Africa, Turkey, Greece, New York, Milan, and many others being the image of different advertising campaigns and editorials. Angela settled down in London in 1996, where she finished her studies in Marketing, PR, and Communication.

Her passion for communication quickly got her in front of the cameras as a TV presenter back in Spain. Currently, she is the managing partner at Kaskada Management, an event and celebrity management company based in the UAE, focusing on corporate and charitable events.

Passionate about everything she does, Angela likes to get involved in all social projects to help those in need. Mother of three children, she understood that the privilege of any family being healthy should be the same way for everyone.

1. For you personally, what was the most memorable event in 2014? What is the biggest challenge for 2015?

For me personally, the Global Gift Gala 2014 in Dubai. We have partnered with the DIFF (Dubai International Film Festival) and have brought the Gala to a whole new different level.

In 2015, we are looking forward to the next Global Gift Gala at the end of the year, working hard for it to make it even more successful than the previous ones, always aiming for more when it comes to charity.

2. How do you keep yourself motivated promoting charity events?

Promoting charity events is very difficult as one has to work without budgets, and it is almost a mission impossible to make them happen. The miracle is that there are always people/friends/companies ready to offer support, and when we see our achievements and the amount of actual people being helped, this is the most rewarding feeling of all!

In my case, there is also a personal cause involved in the work. We work very closely with Sunrise K' Foundation, a non-profit organisation raising awareness on childhood glaucoma. Please visit www.sunrisekfoundation.org!

3. Some argue that charity helps the recipient with their problem, but it does not solve the actual problem. What do you think?

Unfortunately, we cannot solve the world's global problems by means of charity, but doing nothing is much less helpful. It is our social obligation to be involved in charity one way or another, and it is one's personal decision how, with whom, and when. One should definitely do little, which, in the end, will count more.

4. What are your personal five basic life principles?

I have more than five, but let us say that my daily ones are Respect, Honesty, Loyalty, Belief, and Forgiveness.

5. What celebrity would you really like to work with and why?

I am very proud and lucky to have worked with Eva Longoria so closely, since she is an amazing woman besides other amazing qualities she has as an actress and a TV personality. She is one of a kind and a real inspiration when it comes to philantrophy. Her Global Gift Gala team is an extremely dedicated platform that makes many people's dreams come true.

Said that, I would love to work with Angelina Jolie, since I respect her deeply for the humanitarian work she does and the humble person she seems to be. She spreads out generosity, and I admire her for every aspect of her lifestyle.

6. In your opinion, what contributed to the growing popularity of Dubai in terms of charity events?

The UAE has become the leading donor to charitable causes around the world.The total amount given this year has been more Dh506.2 million, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

In an interview, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the Minister for International Cooperation and Development, said that in terms of percentage of its gross national income, the UAE was the largest foreign aid donor in the world last year.

Humanitarian causes in Syria topped the list of countries that the UAE has given directed funds to. This includes helping refugees from the civil war who are housed in relief camps in Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Dubai and the UAE as a whole are very charitable communities. The Government designates big budgets for different non-profit organisations along the country to support many different areas -- education, medicine, fighting poverty, etc.

7. We have recently seen you attending the Golden Globes in LA, what can you tell us about this experience?

This experience was entirely personal and not work-related. I was very lucky to be invited by very good friends and I had one of the best times of my life. I have enjoyed it from A to Z, and I would like to repeat it again. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many celebrities. To be walking the red carpet next to Kate Beckinsale or Jennifer Lopez is not something you can do everyday.

8.Which of the celebrities that you have met during the Golden Globes you think is more appealing, in terms of both looks or personality?

I was very impressed with Jennifer Lopez, she is gorgeous, truly stunning in person as much as on screen, but I was completely taken by George Clooney or Adrien Brody. I was able to have a long conversation with Jeremy Renee, and I found him very interesting besides his looks. Jennifer Aniston disappointed me since she seemed completely effortless during the Gala, and Oprah Winfrey left me astonished with her radiant personality. I have some celebrity experience related to my work, and I always come to the same conclusion -- they are as human as we are and more vulnerable than we can expect. I have a lot of respect for the showbiz personalities; it is not easy to deal with 2,000 selfies a day!